Five-star Spanish Grand Prix win for Greg Broderick leads impressive run of weekend results for Irish riders

Tipperary’s Greg Broderick claimed a superb win in Sunday’s five-star Grand Prix at Gijon in Spain. Riding the 11-year-old gelding Westbrook, owned by Kerry Anne LLC, Broderick recorded the fastest of five double clear rounds after a 12 horse jump-off to take the winners prize of almost €50,000. His time of 49.52 seconds saw him finish three tenths of a second ahead of French runner-up Mathieu Billot, while Alexander Butler also took ninth place for Ireland with Devine Hero.

Greg Broderick holds the winners trophy following victory in the Gijon Grand Prix

Butler and the Jesia Drea-owned Dekato had earlier completed a hat-trick of wins at the Spanish venue, after coming out on top in the speed class. The pair had recorded a victory in the opening competition on Wednesday and again came out on top 24 hours later. Broderick and Butler ware part of Michael Blake’s Irish team that finished equal fourth in the Gijon Nations Cup on Friday where they were joined by David Simpson and Billy Twomey.

Across the Atlantic, Cork’s Shane Sweetnam was in excellent form at the four-star Hampton Classic Show in the USA, capturing the $72,000 Longines Cup for the third consecutive year. He guided Kirschwasser SCF to top spot in the jump-off just ahead of American rider Catherine Tyree in second. Co Clare’s David Blake and the Pine Hollow Farm owned Keoki took an impressive fourth place finish in the $300,000 Doha Inc Grand Prix at the same venue.They jumped clear in the first round with just a time fault stopping them from going forward to the jump-off. Fellow Irish rider Jonathan Corrigan also picked up just a time fault with Loughnavatta Indigo (ISH) to finish fifth. Victory went to Canada’s Mario Deslauriers with Bardolina.

At the five-star Brussels Stephex Masters in Belgium, Tipperary’s Denis Lynch partnered GC Chopin’s Bushi to a fifth place finish in the Grand Prix which was won by Niels Bruynseels (BEL) with Gancia de Muze. Waterford’s Anthony Condon meanwhile recorded a sixth place finish in the four-star Grand Prix at Valence in France with SFS Aristio. At the same venue, Tipperary’s Shane Breen and the stallion Golden Hawk took victory in Saturday’s Grand Prix qualifier, while Michael Pender finished as runner-up in the six-bar with Casanova van Overis Z.